You have either a UHF or VHF antenna. But you want to enjoy a lot of channels from both antennas! What now?!
It’s simple – combine the two in one antenna and the combining procedure isn’t tricky as well.
So How to combine UHF and VHF antennas? Well, for that you just need a bit of knowledge about both antennas, Combiner to combine, and positioning in the right spot. Here you will get all the in-depth ideas for the combination of UHF and VHF antennas.
UHF and VHF Antennas; are they the same?
Not at all! There are lots of dissimilarities in structure, frequency captured also in installing process of these two antennas. Let’s have a quick look at these basics before you get how to combine the UHF and VHF antennas.
- UHF (Ultra High Frequency) Antenna gets signals with a shorter wavelength than the VHFs’ (Very High Frequency). Generally, it’s 300MHz to 3GHz for UHF antenna and 30-300MHz for VHFs’.
- The UHF antenna is smaller having a shorter spacing between its made of elements. After all, it has to capture lots of tiny wavelengths, you know!
On the other hand, VHF antenna comes with a larger and simple structure to receive longer signals.
- Environmental factors can hardly affect the UHF signals. But VHF signals can be blocked by tall obstructions like hills, buildings, etc. and it’s preferable for short-distance communication.
- UHF antenna typically carries the TV signals having a list of channels 14 through 83. The list of channels VHF television are generally 2 through 13.
Why do you need to combine the UHF and VHF Antennas?
Well, depending on your location and available television channels, usually you install either VHF or UHF antenna. Both antennas differ in carrying channels but you want to enjoy wide ranges of channels from both signals.
So, what will you do? Three ways to go-
- Install antenna that supports both VHF and UHF signals.
- Install both the UHF and VHF antennas separately.
- Combine the two separate antennas.
The third one needs some tricks that you need to handle by yourself. Let’s see how to combine these two in a single antenna for better convenience.
How can you combine a UHF and VHF Antennas?
You will need the following items:
- Antenna Combiner Device ( should have the all-weather adjustable mounting hardware for the mast)
- Coaxial Cable
- Antenna Mast (to support the antennas)
- Zip ties or something to tie with (to secure the cables)
- Preamplifier (it’s optional. To avoid signal interference issues and long cable run. required its own own power supply)
Steps to follow:
Step 1:
1st of all a suitable location is needed to set your antennas with the mast. Check the television signals; for which position of each antenna it’s providing good-quality pictures.
Step 2:
Once you get the location, get the mast and set the antennas in it. The mast should be sized to accommodate both antennas.
Generally, for better signal reception, you want to set the UHF antenna in a higher position than the VHF antenna.
Step 3:
Using the antenna combiner, combine the two antennas. Your Combiner must have the in and out indicators for coaxial cables of UHF and VHF antennas.
Step 4:
Once you combine the antennas with the Combiner, connect the combiner’s coax cable to your television. Or you can connect it to the cable box first.
Notable fact: If your TV has separate inputs for UHF and VHF antennas, you will need a splitter.
Wait! maybe you are thinking Is an antenna combiner the same as a splitter, Right?
Indeed a resistive Combiner is a splitter in reverse. A splitter simply split the power and a Combiner, in contrast, combines and boosts signal. You can use the same circuit to combine and split the RF power.
But, generally, for combining UHF and VHF antennas an impedance-matched combiner runs better instead of a resistive Combiner. It keeps the signals separate and reduces the chance to be canceled.
What are our Recommendations for UHF and VHF antennas
For UHF
- Channel Master CM-4228HD EXTREMEtenna Outdoor Antenna
For VHF
- Stellar Labs – 30-2476 Deep Fringe Directional VHF Hi HDTV Antenna
Product Details
Let’s see the specialties of these antennas; why we picked these up!
1. Channel Master CM-4228HD EXTREMEtenna Outdoor TV Antenna
The CM-4228HD antenna of Channel Master Brand comes with a compact size and easy installation in any place. It’s able to pick channels over 80+ away with great signal.
This multi-directional antenna has a 75 Ohm impedance and it’s preassembled! Its light and compact design make a good balance when you combine it with a VHF antenna in a mast.
2. Stellar Labs – 30-2476 Deep Fringe Directional Antenna
Stellar Labs – 30-2476 is a worthy antenna that comes at a reasonable price. This product is very well-built and easy to assemble. Its also a 75 Ohm antenna.
You will get great reception and good-quality pictures with this VHF antenna. Lots of customers cured their VHF channels problem after getting this deep fringe directional antenna of Stellar Labs.
Combining these two identical antennas will serve you great convenience while getting both services from UHF and VHF signals.
if you want to know about best antenna for Low VHF channels then read this article why should you buy Antenna For Low VHF Channels.
Conclusion
It’s quite tricky to combine two same antennas, for example, UHF to UHF. But combining a UHF and VHF antenna is only a matter of having a few ideas about the elements. And hopefully, you have just got that!
Examine what your area resection for signals using zip code and think what you want to watch. Then select the best antennas (e.g our recommendation), combine them, and enjoy watching!